Welcome

My name is Frank J. Capone and welcome to my blog. I am just a regular guy with a large amount of experience in God’s mercy who wants to express himself. Not that I have anything earth shattering to say, far from it. I am just observing the world from a Catholic perspective and working out how to relate to a cultural environment that undermines the Christian world view. I like to think I do this not on secular terms but from a Catholic perspective.

ME? I am just an average lower middle class guy doing what I can to make life livable for me and my family. I do have a masters in secondary education with a concentration in history but as of yet I am not a teacher. Too many applicants, not enough openings. So I am a machine operator at a tape factory. I have a beautiful wife and two great kids. I am also a member of the Oblate Associate community in my hometown of Lowell MA. This is about as much as I am going to talk about myself. I like to think that this blog is not about me but about Christ and His Church. I merely desire to share my conviction of Truth as it has been brought home to me through observation and reflection.

My main conviction is this; though Catholicism may be "out of step" with the current world view(or lack thereof), as secularists like to assert, that is not the important question. The question to ask is, is the prevailing Zeitgeist compatible with the nature of humanity and what human society should be? To me the answer is no. With that in mind it is our task as Catholics to present the alternative view of Catholicism clearly and with conviction so people can know where to turn when they grow weary of the present culture.

This must be done with love and understanding and sensitivity. In my opinion we must be careful of the over simplified dictum "those who are not for Christ are against Him".That may ultimately be true but in the meantime many who hold to a different outlook than us may in fact be on their way back to Rome. For example, was I for or against Christ when I began my journey back to truth by delving into the writings of Matthew Fox and Joseph Campbell while in a state of de facto agnositcism? My eventual return to the Church as a result of a quest for truth stimulated by these writings(filled with error as they are) indicates that I was for Him, however imperfectly. As Chesterton said, all roads lead back to Rome. It is our job to encourage them on the way. We are to lead them, not push or drag them!

I also believe it is imperative that we be careful in our assessment of historical events and trends vi a vis the Church. We must avoid simple assessments such as the idea that many happenings were from a desire to destroy the Church. The flip side is that simple assertions such as the Church being un democratic and in favor of authoritarian rule must also be discarded. History is too complex for such simplistic attitudes.

Anyway this is the mind set from which I will try to work from. This will not be a blog that will be updated daily. I have no time and I need time to think and assess happenings and attitudes with balance and fairness. I hope through God’s grace to be of some help tp people in their own Journey.

Yours in Christ,
Frank J. Capone